About Bitmap Bureau
Founded in 2016 by industry veterans Matt Cope and Mike Tucker, Bitmap Bureau is a game development studio based in Southampton.
Bitmap Bureau are truly passionate about retro games and are dedicated to creating new titles that hark back to gaming’s golden era through 2D graphics, authentic packaging and a traditional hands-on approach to coding and development.
Notable releases include Xeno Crisis, Final Vendetta, and Terminator 2D: NO FATE, with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction coming soon!
The Role
We’re looking for an experienced Senior Programmer to help lead development on a licensed IP title across our portfolio of video games for modern (PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, and Xbox) and retro platforms.
You’ll take ownership of core gameplay and systems work, drive technical decisions, mentor other programmers, and collaborate closely with design, art, audio, production, and QA to ship high-quality features on schedule.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the design, implementation, and delivery of gameplay and engine features from concept to final integration.
- Lead technical planning for assigned areas (milestones, task breakdowns, risk management, estimation).
- Drive performance optimisation and stability across target platforms.
- Review code and enforce coding standards, architecture guidelines, and best practices.
- Mentor and support junior programmers through guidance, feedback, and knowledge sharing.
- Work closely with other disciplines to support content integration (art/animation/audio), resolve technical blockers, and maintain quality.
- Own bug fixing in your area, including investigation, root-cause analysis.
- Provide clear progress updates, highlight risks early, and help keep delivery on track.
What We’re Looking For
- Professional experience in game development.
- Strong C/C++ and C# skills, with a proven track record of shipping features in production codebases (other languages a bonus).
- Experience shipping on at least one platform (PC/console) and understanding of platform constraints, certification considerations, and performance budgets (experience across multiple platforms is a plus).
- Deep debugging and problem-solving ability (profilers, call stacks, memory issues, race conditions).
- Solid software design/architecture skills: writing maintainable systems, refactoring safely, and making pragmatic trade-offs.
- Comfortable working with version control and collaborative workflows (Git).
- Experience working with build systems and tooling (CI, automated builds, scripting, asset pipelines).
- Strong communication skills: able to explain technical concepts clearly, collaborate cross-functionally, and support team decision-making.
- A proactive mindset: identifies risks/opportunities, proposes solutions, and follows through.
- Experience working with Licensed IP holders is a plus.
What You’ll Gain
- A key role on PC and console game projects, with ownership over impactful systems and features.
- Opportunities to influence technical direction, improve pipelines, and help shape how we build and ship games.
- Collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team across design, art, audio, QA, and production.
- A supportive, inclusive studio environment where leadership and quality engineering are valued.
Benefits
- Life insurance
- Private medical insurance
Work Location
- In person, Southampton SO18 1NP
- Reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work is preferred
Work Authorisation
Application Requirements
- Resume
- Cover letter highlighting your technical expertise and leadership experience
